Parliament Membership during the Single-Party System in Turkey (1925-1945)

Bibliographic Data

ID2631339
AuthorsCemil Koçak (Sabancı Üniversitesi, corresponding author)
Year2005
Volume3
Issue3
Publication date2005-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEuropean journal of Turkish studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1773-0546 • E-ISSN: 1773-0546
PublisherOpenEdition (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.4000/ejts.497
OpenAlexW1527022679
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited10

The official legitimization of the single-party regime in Turkey lay with Parliament, which, as a representative of the people, controlled the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. However, the parliamentary period after 1925 was highlighted by a lack of freedom of speech, with scope for political discussion limited. This paper aims to establish the role of MPs during this period. At the head of the single-party system, the President was free to choose every party member for Parliament. This meant competition was very restricted, be it in the form of short-lived opposition parties or independent candidates. During the selection process, some social classes, for example high-ranking officer and bureaucrats were privileged. These two groups were the most common in Parliament. On the other hand, local ties were sometimes respected by the regime: rural notables with close relations with party headquarters were easily elected, and remained in Parliament. A MPs’ chance of re-election was significant if he performed his duty with loyalty to the party. The author underlines a stabilization of political personnel throughout this period

Legislature · Parliament · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Historical Turkish Studies · Law · Ottoman Empire History and Society · Public Administration · Turkey's Politics and Society

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